DataProtector Eases Client-Side Backup

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Connected DataProtector 7.0

Connected DataProtector 7.0 provides enterprise-class backup capabilities for organizations with large numbers of client systems to protect. The client-side interface is a strong point; its easy to use and gives end users the power to initiate backups and restores. Features such as SendOnce make backups faster and more effective, especially over slow connections. The licensed software version of Connected DataProtector costs $60 per PC; the subscription service costs $9 per PC per month.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS USABILITY GOOD CAPABILITY EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE GOOD INTEROPERABILITY FAIR MANAGEABILITY GOOD SCALABILITY EXCELLENT SECURITY GOOD

PRO: Simple client interface; solid management tools; robust and scalable backup server infrastructure. CON: Supports Windows-based clients; server software interface takes time to master.

EVALUATION SHORT LIST • Dantz Development Corp.s Retrospect • SVeritas Software Corp.s NetBackup Professional 3.5

Few problems in IT are more frustrating than client-side backup, especially when a large number of users have laptops that are infrequently accessing the network or accessing the network over a slow connection.

Connected Corp.s Connected DataProtector 7.0 delivers enterprise-class backup for client-side systems over any TCP/IP network. During tests, eWEEK Labs was impressed with the powerful capabilities and manageability of DataProtector 7.0, which was released last month. However, the products use will be limited by its operating system support: DataProtector 7.0 supports only Windows clients, pretty much precluding its usefulness at organizations with Unix-, Linux- or Mac OS-based workstations or laptops.

Considering that Connected DataProtector is focused on client-side backup, its feature set is surprisingly rich, including enterprise-class features such as support for hierarchical storage management. This will allow IT managers to conserve disk space by automatically pushing old data from RAID to tape. Connected DataProtector 7.0 also includes server clustering features that have been improved since we last saw the product several years ago.

Most impressive, however, are useful client-side tools such as iRoam, which allowed us to download data from the backup server using a Web browser.

Connected DataProtector 7.0 is targeted at large organizations with hundreds or even thousands of laptops and desktops.

As a prerequisite for installing Connected DataProtector, we had to set up a Microsoft Corp. Windows 2000 Server-based system and add Microsoft SQL Server 2000 with all the recommended service patches.

While installation of the Connected DataProtector 7.0 server software was not too difficult, it took us some time to become familiar with the applications various interfaces and features. The client-side backup interface, however, is straightforward.

Upon installation on the client, a Connected DataProtector agent initiates a full backup and stores and compresses data onto the backup server.

One of the key benefits of Connected DataProtector is the SendOnce feature, which identifies common files, such as operating system and application files, and stores them in a shared-file pool. Once the pool is populated, backups are accelerated because Connected DataProtector "sees" the common files and ignores them. Users on slow connections will especially appreciate this feature.

New in this version of Connected DataProtector is EmailOptimizer, which applies the SendOnce capabilities to Microsofts Outlook and IBMs Lotus Notes files.

On the client side, we were able to restore files without administrative intervention. And a "heal" wizard allowed us to roll back the configuration of a test laptop to a previous state.

The licensed software version of Connected DataProtector 7.0 costs $60 per PC, plus about 15 percent annually for maintenance. The subscription service costs $9 per PC per month.

Senior Analyst Henry Baltazar can be reached at henry_baltazar@ziffdavis.com.